A former French naval aviation pilot was indicted on July 23, notably for intelligence with a foreign power and collection and delivery of information on the fundamental interests of the nation to a foreign power, and placed under judicial supervision, the Paris prosecutor’s office said on Wednesday July 29.
This ex-fighter pilot, who was placed in police custody, is also being prosecuted for disclosure of national defense secrets by his custodian, according to the prosecution, which confirmed information from the Intelligence Online site.
The investigation, now entrusted to an investigating judge, was opened on suspicions concerning its links with China. The alleged facts were reported to the courts by the Ministry of the Armed Forces under Article 40 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
The Paris public prosecutor’s office received a report on February 19, 2025 “concerning one of their former staff, suspected of intelligence with a foreign power, disclosure of national defense secrets, violation of instructions, accumulation of activities, laundering of tax fraud”.
This report led to the opening of a preliminary investigation, entrusted to the General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI).
A former fighter pilot
According to Le Canard chainé, which revealed the existence of this preliminary investigation, the trips to China in September 2018 and August 2019 of this former fighter pilot, paid by a South African company, are at the heart of the investigations.
“I was content to lead two seminars of three days each (…). My 2019 trip did not go very well, I never set foot in China again after that,” the respondent declared to Le Canard chainé.
According to a source close to the matter, his trips to China took place while he was still in the military, without him informing his superiors as required by the armies. This former pilot is also known for being the host of a YouTube channel, where he has more than 560,000 subscribers.
